Boomer's Bizarre Bicycle, A - Z Compendium

^^ Cards on the table, regretfully, I've done some pretty stupid thing myself, I'm far from perfect. Cycling is a big thing in Yorkshire, with lots of clubs, but I'm not a big fan of groups that just fill the road 2 or 3 abreast chatting away with a big stream of traffic being them.
I would like to call out a manic tractor driver from a few years back, I was riding 2 abreast on a quiet back road when this lunatic came from behind. As he passed he was literally spitting abuse, the fact the I was with a female didn't seem to perturb him one bit, not that she wasn't unfamiliar with that sort of language, hardly the point. It was a case of, I'm travelling this speed & I don't intend to have to use my brakes.
As I've said farming can be tough, with pressures. One of the couple that I worked for was clearly on the brink of a breakdown, for a combination of reasons. There's a high suicide rate in the profession, financial challenges, weather to contend with, long hours & physical demands. Plus mental health issues & loneliness.
If I ever see that guy in a pub, I wont be buying him a pint, although I think he needed one on that particular day.

So far, to date, I've never been out on my bike & spotted a Koala, Kangaroo or a Kookaburra, although there's a strong chance that I've passed a local cricket match with a bat of the same name being used to good effect.
A tenuous link, I am aware that Australia is on the other side of the planet, so highly unlikely. It isn't that uncommon for animals to escape from zoos, & people keep some unusual pets...

I'll rack my brain & see if I can come up with a better cycling connection.

Lights Why do some drivers fail to dip their headlights
It's dangerous to all road users but more so on a bike which requires a degree of balance, shut down one of your most important senses, your sight & it becomes doubly difficult. Many modern headlights are super bright, & with the trend for bigger cars the lights sit higher up the vehicle making matters worse.
I've noticed an issue with some HGV's that will dip their lights as they approach, but flick back onto main-beam before they have fully passed, & still blind you, they may well just misjudging it, but it almost feels deliberate.
As is often the case this is a minority of motorists getting it badly wrong, but one is too many in my book, & this happens on a daily basis.
A car passed me the other morning & it went from pitch-black to daylight, it was like as bright a a nuclear flash. It didn't just illuminate the road but the fields at either side.
Some of the lorries are a bit crazy, the look like they've driven through Blackpool & got tangled up in the illuminations. I do like the idea of them having lights along the sides of their trailer, that's a good safety feature.
With the mornings & nights drawing in it's a dangerous time for cyclists & everyone needs to be extra vigilant, stay safe.

And dont forget the reflective strip and don't wear black!

Mud
I'm talking about dried mud, not the wet stuff, farm vehicles who are only going about their job carry it off the fields onto the roads, if it happens ton rain enough it eventually gets washed away if not the traffic literally welds it to the road & you're stuck with it for weeks. Cycling through this is not much fun.
I have no real answer, the farmers don't really have time to clean up after themselves & it is unlikely that the local council have the resources to deal with the issue.

Mechanical - literally rode to the local shop on Saturday morning, it's only 10 minutes to walk, anyway I paid for it got within 100 yards of home & I had a rear flat tyre.
As it tuns out it was a good opportunity to give the bike some much needed maintenance setting it up for the winter months.
I think the puncture was the bikes way of telling me to clean it. In fairness, I had been keeping on top of that side of things it wasn't exactly grafted. Cleaning & lubricating your bike can be a pain & time consuming, but pay dividends by extending the lifespan of working parts, a quick check over to spot any damage & everything is as tight as it should be.
I've had some bad news regarding my LBS - local bike shop who will be calling it a day next year, despite being capable of handing most jobs, I always use them for regular services, it gives me that extra confidence that everything is safe.
You just build up a good relationship with the staff that larger chain stores can't match. As of yet, I don't believe anyone is in line to take over the business. I fear that it will become another Turkish Barbers....not that I have anything against Turks or Barbers but there must be half a dozen on that street alone.

Not taking the bike out today, too wet & windy.

Nudity

I've got to say having a bike must have it's perks on occasion

Owl
One advantage of a bike over a motor vehicle is that there are times that you can get up close to nature, sometimes to close in the case of deer. The relatively slower speeds of travel means that you see more, for longer & in greater detail.
On one of my regular routes I've been lucky enough to ride along-side a barn owl, sometimes they cross my path briefly, & on one occasion close to my left at a similar height I manage to keep pace for a good few yards up the road. Due to the proximity of these sightings I often wonder if I'm I've been seeing the same bird & that we have some Kes like affinity.

One other recollection was after finishing a 10 hour nightshift I was cycling the short 10K journey home. I'd just ascended a railway bridge, which felt more like Alpe d'Huez, when suddenly something white crossed my path only a few feet above me & then as quicky as it had appeared it was gone. Maybe due to general fatigue I'd no idea what I'd encountered, it felt almost ghost-like, which I dismissed that idea & wondered if it had perhaps been some newspaper flying through the air. More plausible I thought as there's sadly no shortage of litter.
After some rest & a little research, I came round to the idea that a bird was the most likely & given the size & colour a barn owl fits the description, especially given the fact that they appear all white at night & the underside of the wings was potentially what I had witnessed.

Punctures really piss me off.